County financial afflictions go on

The Delaware County Council desperately needed to shore up an ailing health care account, woefully short of what's needed to pay employee medical claims the rest of the year.

The council also has needed, in theory, to repay a $2 million loan members took out of their own Rainy Day Fund last year to make ends meet on both last year's and this year's budgets (yes, this was a Band-Aid approach versus tackling the problem of dwindling revenues directly).

So, voila, resolving both issues at once, the council approved taking $2 million from the county general fund, transferring into the rainy day fund to repay the loan, and then dedicated the money to be used to pay health care claims.

If that sounds like a trick done with smoke and mirrors, you're right.

The sleight-of-hand is likely to pinch finances later this year, and does nothing to fundamentally address the issue of health care costs.

Oh, $50,000 of the $2 million was set aside for legal costs of the mandate circuit court judges issued council months ago to restore all salary levels and court expenses cut in this year's budget.

On top of that, since money seemed readily available, council members approved $870,000 from the rainy day fund for sheriff's pensions, an issue still not permanently resolved.

Other costs are looming.

Despite an outstanding Delaware County Fair this year, which ended last weekend, Mother Nature chose to mitigate a drought on band competition night.

The deluge forced officials to cancel after just three bands played before a packed - and brand new, sparkling - grandstands built this year, more than anything else, for that particular night.

After last year's state fair tragedy of a stage collapse, county officials inspected the local fair's grandstands and found a disaster in waiting.

Replacement plans were put together hurriedly, bids taken last spring and the project completed just in time for a dedication two weeks ago.

Now comes paying the piper.

Because of the time frame, fair officials borrowed $900,000 for the project, but the local bank lending needed something more for collateral, and Delaware County commissioners signed on with a guarantee to use economic development income tax money if the fair board can't come up with other sources.

The loan, at 4.5 percent, calls for interest-only payments for 18 months, and then a balloon payment for the principal.

Presumably the fair board will beat the bushes looking for grants, donations, sponsors - maybe the new, $2 walk-in entrance fee raised a lot of money - but one could easily see dipping into EDIT for a portion, if not a large portion.

More bad news: The county will likely lose a $2.3 million federal grant for a railroad spur out by Park One industrial complex.

The county has been jumping through hoops for three years, whipped and delayed by the U.S. Economic Development Administration and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

On top of that were property acquisition problems.

If bids were solicited today, groundbreaking couldn't come by mid-September's expiration date, and county officials - who have legally committed to putting in the rail spur - are going to have to look at alternatives.

On a completely unrelated note, the modification of a local Democrat Party rule - one requiring that any Democrat officeholder, including precinct officials, support only Headquarters-approved candidates - has been well spun.

Party leaders said the change allows, but doesn't require, party insiders to support those four dissident Democrats, led by House of Representatives District 34 candidate Sue Errington, who are running separate campaigns out of their own HQ.

But the rule change wasn't really to allow loyal Democrats to support and vote for dissident Democrats. The change is to allow loyal Democrats to support and vote for a Republican.

While some state pressure may have been put on the local party over not supporting a badly needed statehouse legislator who's favored to win anyway, the real key to the rule change was the campaigns for Delaware Circuit Court 2 judge.

In the primary race for that nomination in May, local attorney Kim Dowling defeated the Democratic Party chairman's own sister, an HQ-backed favorite and sole Quirk-related local attorney not on the county payroll.

Few loyalists are feeling free to support Dowling now. They'll be switching votes to Republican Alan Wilson. Longtime local attorney, public defender and mayor of Muncie from 1980-84, Wilson was appointed by the governor, a Republican, to the Circuit Court 2 bench effective last February, replacing long serving Judge Richard Dailey.

If the year goes well for Republicans, the support of Democrat Party insiders upset with Anna Quirk-Hunter's loss could allow Wiilson to retain his courtroom seat.

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County financial afflictions go on

The Delaware County Council desperately needed to shore up an ailing health care account, woefully short of what's needed to pay employee medical claims the rest of the year.